Roel nodded.
How should I put it... Maine's crew was indeed different from most edgerunner crews Roel knew. He had felt this way when watching the anime before his Crossing, but five years of life in Night City had gradually dispelled Roel's idealized view of Maine's crew.
Kolina's earnest advice and Susan's constant scolding, the reality of Night City, slowly made Roel withdraw his empathy.
But now, interacting with them, that filter, belonging only to the anime, slowly began to reappear.
He had thought Maine's crew was just one among the countless edgerunner crews in Night City, a microcosm of its teeming masses. But now, it seemed Maine's crew was indeed a bit different.
Then, it was the usual boring drinking and bragging to pass the time. When they had no jobs and nothing to do, most edgerunners lived like this, which was one reason why they couldn't save money.
Extravagant, living hand-to-mouth.
During this time, Roel saw Sasha suddenly leave her seat, carrying her bag. After a moment's thought, Roel looked at Maine and said, "I'm going to step out for a bit."
With that, Roel stood up and walked towards where Sasha had disappeared.
"Aren't you going to stop her? Sasha seems easy to talk to, but in reality, her principles are the strongest among us," Dorio whispered, worried that Roel might clash with Sasha.
Maine, however, shook his head: "It's good for them to interact a bit."
"Roel and Rebecca share the same problem, that damned empathy," Maine said, looking at Rebecca with a hint of helplessness.
Dorio, however, blinked and said, "He's like Rebecca? But why do I feel like he's more like Sasha? He looks calm and composed, and he also uses weakness to hide his strength.
The difference is, Sasha pretends to be cute to disguise herself, while Roel, he gives me the impression of pretending to be a wimp."
"Dorio, you still need to learn how to read people," Maine said with a smile, kissing Dorio on the cheek.
Before coming to Night City and becoming a mercenary, Maine had served in the military, and his rich experience allowed him to see a person's true nature.
And in Maine's opinion, Roel's true nature was that of a good person.
Such a person would be a big problem in Night City, because no one knew when his damned empathy would bring disaster to those around him.
But at least when you're with him, you never have to worry about him stabbing you in the back.
And speaking of empathy, Dorio was a bit helpless. She muttered:
"Having Rebecca in the team is enough. Now you want to recruit another one? Have you forgotten when Rebecca was on a job before?
Because she sympathized with a guy, saying he looked pitiful, with eyes like a puppy, she actually let him go!
But what happened afterward? That bastard brought a few people and ambushed Rebecca and Pilar's home. If I hadn't happened to go look for them, those two would have been finished."
"That's true, but Roel is different. He's very strong. If Rebecca teams up with him, he can protect Rebecca and also allow Rebecca to vent her 'kindness'. Having these two good people together is a good thing for all of us."
......
"Are you following me now?"
As soon as he reached the corner, Roel heard a voice from ahead.
Sasha stood leaning against the bathroom door, quietly watching Roel.
"I want to talk to you," Roel said.
"What do you want to talk about?" Sasha asked calmly.
As she spoke, she walked closer, her cat-like lips no longer smiling, and her gaze towards Roel became somewhat indifferent.
"The job we're doing later, I want to talk to you about it first. It's just... I don't want any variables to appear."
Thinking of the situation Sasha would face, Roel still spoke out. Damn it... when Susan kicked him out of Moxes, he clearly said he would curb this bad habit of his, but in the end, he still couldn't stand it.
Speaking out about things he couldn't stand—this was the biggest problem Roel encountered in Night City.
He knew he shouldn't, yet he couldn't bring himself to be unfazed.
Roel continued, "I hate variables appearing in my work."
Hearing Roel's words, Sasha smiled, her cat-like lips curving with a hint of coldness. Her voice carried a sense of detachment as she spoke:
"I also hate variables appearing during work, just like now. I can complete this job alone. Stealing data is not difficult for me.
But Maine isn't at ease. Fine, who made him the boss? I can only accept his good intentions.
But what do you mean by all this? How long have we known each other? Not even a full day. What right do you have to say such things to me?
You don't want variables to appear in the work, you know? To me, you are the biggest variable I've encountered right now."
Sasha shed her cute and docile demeanor, becoming like a little pink cat with ruffled fur, hissing. She looked at Roel coldly and continued:
"I'm a professional. I know exactly what to do when working. Work is work, and completing the mission is the most important thing. That's why I don't need a rookie to come and lecture me."
"With this time, you might as well think about what you want to do in the future, how long you'll live. Mind your own business, Roel."
After Sasha finished speaking, she didn't look at Roel again, but turned and walked into the bathroom.
"..."
Back with Maine, Roel looked at Maine, who was winking at him, and silently sat down beside him.
"She's not as easy to talk to as she looks, is she?" Maine said to Roel with a smile.
Roel nodded.
"That's right. Don't let Sasha's cute appearance fool you; she's actually the coldest person in our crew.
But she's just sharp-tongued and soft-hearted. Don't take what she says too seriously. She's just not used to talking to strangers. Given time, you'll understand that Sasha is actually a very gentle person."
Given time, he'd understand?
The problem was...
According to Roel's speculation, although he hadn't learned Sasha's story, judging from the information provided in the Edgerunners' ending song, Sasha would die tonight.
What future did she have?
When Sasha returned, she still wore that docile, smiling expression. Sitting in her seat, she looked down at her computer, not once glancing at Roel.
More and more people filled Afterlife. Later, Roel's acquaintance, Craig, also appeared. She was behind the bar, wiping glasses and greeting everyone who entered Afterlife.
Until early morning, after checking the time, Sasha stood up, picked up her bag, and turned to walk towards Afterlife's entrance.
Maine yawned, slapped his face, and patted Roel's back, "Go on, it's time to get to work."
"Just Sasha and me?" Roel pointed to himself.
"Pilar and I will follow shortly. For this job, Sasha first needs to hack into the surrounding cameras, then Pilar will press the device. Anyway, we'll contact you by phone then."
"Hurry up and catch up, or Sasha won't wait for you."
Roel was a bit speechless but still followed Sasha.
Stepping out of Afterlife, Roel saw Sasha sitting on a pink motorcycle, putting on a pink helmet with cat ears.
"The helmet's in the back seat, grab it yourself," Sasha said, looking at Roel.
Roel walked over, took a pink helmet from the motorcycle's rear compartment, took off his baseball cap, and put on the helmet.
"That looks much better. Here's some advice: as an edgerunner, talk less, do more, and don't meddle in things that don't concern you, even if we're teammates," Sasha glanced at Roel.
"What if you ask me for help later? Should I still not get involved?" Roel got on the motorcycle. The pink motorcycle wasn't big, and two people sitting on it felt a bit crowded. As soon as Roel sat down, his abdomen touched Sasha's buttocks.
Sasha shifted uncomfortably and said coldly:
"I told you, I'm a professional."
"Let me emphasize again, rookie, just mind your own business."
Accompanied by the roar of the throttle, a pink motorcycle sped from Chinatown towards the city center in the dead of night.